Several members of the Footballguys.com staff, plus some other writers from neighboring sites, participated in a 16-team non-PPR mock draft July 14th, 2012. After completing the draft, each participant was asked a series of questions based on the team they drafted as well as their opinion on other teams in the league.

Note from editor, Clayton Gray: I apologize for the delay between this draft and the results hitting the site. While some of the comments may be dated, this is still a useful read to see overall strategy in building a team in such a large league.

League Rules

Number of Teams - 16

Roster Spots - 20

Starters - 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 flex, 1 PK, 1 Def

Offensive Scoring

Passing TD - 4 points

Passing Yard - 0.04 points

Rushing TD - 6 points

Rushing Yard - 0.1 points

Receiving TD - 6 points

Receiving Yard - 0.1 points

FG Made from 0-30 Yards - 3 points

FG Made from 31-99 Yards - 0.1 point per yard

Defensive Scoring

Safety - 2 points each

Interception/Fumble recovery - 2 points each

Sack - 1 point

Points allowed 0-6 - 6 points

Defensive or Special Teams TD - 6 points

John Sarmento (2mugsff.com) Draft Slot 1

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

I think you had to move up a few rounds earlier than your standard 12 teamer, to land your targets. While I didn't veer much from my normal strategy, I grabbed a QB a few rounds earlier and his backup as well. The board thins out quickly with 16 teams.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think Tony Gonzalez is still being overlooked, most likely because of the Julio Jones hype this offseason. Sagging him in round 7 in non-PPR is a steal in my opinion.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think Andy Miley's 12th round pick of Emmanuel Sanders was a sneaky one. I think the Steelers will throw a lot more this year, and Sanders has a big window open to surprise people.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

I think a lot of teams were very solid given the thin nature of a 16 team draft board, but many were too heavy at one position, and weak at others as a result. For me, Ryan McDowell had the most balanced roster at QB, RB & WR. His only weakness was TE, but even then he still had some upside with Gresham & Daniels.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

5.01

QB

Matt Ryan

ATL

10.16

QB

Joe Flacco

BAL

1.01

RB

Arian Foster

HOU

4.16

RB

Jahvid Best

DET

8.16

RB

Kendall Hunter

SFO

12.16

RB

Marcel Reece

OAK

17.01

RB

Curtis Brinkley

SDC

2.16

WR

Dez Bryant

DAL

3.01

WR

Percy Harvin

MIN

6.16

WR

Santonio Holmes

NYJ

11.01

WR

Golden Tate

SEA

13.01

WR

Chris Givens

STL

14.16

WR

Marvin Jones

CIN

16.16

WR

T.J. Graham

BUF

19.01

WR

Joe Adams

CAR

7.01

TE

Tony Gonzalez

ATL

9.01

TE

Greg Olsen

CAR

15.01

TE

Robert Housler

ARI

20.16

PK

Dan Carpenter

MIA

18.16

Def

New England Patriots

NEP

Mark Preston (@lsumark313) Draft slot 2

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

We have all been hearing that this is the deepest WR group in recent years. Drafting out of the second slot, Ray Rice was an easy selection but coming back around for the 2nd and 3rd round, I knew I had two out of four picks and had to decide where to set my draft from there. In a 10, 12, or 14 team league I would normally still go RB-RB-RB as I am a believer that the flex should be treated as a RB3 spot if possible. In a 16 team league, if I didn't take a WR in the first 3 picks I wouldn't have had any chance of putting together three decent WRs. As a result, I snagged Greg Jennings with my 3rd round pick after being satisfied with Ray Rice and Fred Jackson as RB1 and RB2. When my 4th round pick came back around at pick 63, it was abundantly clear it was value based drafting from here on out. I had made up my mind that QB and TE were "wait" positions and found that I would go RB/WR on the turn quite often to just keep adding depth. I went with DeSean Jackson, a high upside WR2 and was very pleased to get Shonn Greene in the 5th round.

After 66 picks I had Rice/F.Jackson/S. Greene/ Jennings/DeSean Jackson. Round 6 was the latest I felt you could wait on a QB, so I took Ben Roethlisberger and snagged my TE With Fred Davis. I am used to being able to draft talent in rounds 10 - 12, but in a 16 team league it is high upside with rounds 8-12 where I took: Vincent Brown/Carson Palmer/Brandon LaFell and Kevin Smith.

Round 13 was my last pick which I felt would have been a viable contributor in Joe McKnight. Rounds 14-20 were more like dynasty league drafts where you take talent over situation and hope for something to change.

So I would say drop off is remarkable, If you don't go RB-RB in a non-PPR you're really not going to have much as a RB2. The teams that took a QB early look like they were always drafting from behind.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

6.15 - Ben Roethlisberger - 6th round may seem normal for him, but he was selected at pick 98 compared to his ADP in the 80's. I believe his ADP will climb to the mid 60's by third preseason game.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

5.06 - Dwayne Bowe - Pick 70. Is this the market reacting to his holdout. I'm not a huge fan of Bowe but at pick 70 in a Non-PPR league, it's a great steal.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

Jay Myers. I really like his RB1 and RB2 in Matt Forte and DeMarco Murray. In a 16 team draft, it is a big advantage to draft in spots 1, 2 and 15, 16 because you are able to shape your draft the way you want, independent of uncontrollable variables that are present in a 16 team draft. After Forte and Murray, he grabbed Jeremy Maclin and Marques Colston who are solid WR1 and WR2 players. His 5th and 6th picks were a great strategy of taking Peyton Manning and Eric Decker together. He filled out his starting lineup with TE Brandon Pettigrew and a great flex option in Mikel Leshoure, who I am really high on as well. He also selected some great upside players late in Jonathan Baldwin, Leonard Hankerson, Marcus Easley and Martellus Bennett at TE. The only danger on his roster is at QB2 with Brandon Weeden, If Manning is healthy all year this will be a roster to fear.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

6.15

QB

Ben Roethlisberger

PIT

9.02

QB

Carson Palmer

OAK

15.02

QB

Matt Hasselbeck

TEN

1.02

RB

Ray Rice

BAL

2.15

RB

Fred Jackson

BUF

5.02

RB

Shonn Greene

NYJ

11.02

RB

Kevin Smith

DET

13.02

RB

Joe McKnight

NYJ

16.15

RB

Chris Polk

PHI

17.02

RB

Joseph Addai

FA

3.02

WR

Greg Jennings

GBP

4.15

WR

DeSean Jackson

PHI

8.15

WR

Vincent Brown

SDC

10.15

WR

Brandon LaFell

CAR

12.15

WR

David Nelson

BUF

18.15

WR

Tommy Streeter

BAL

7.02

TE

Fred Davis

WAS

14.15

TE

Ed Dickson

BAL

19.02

PK

Alex Henery

PHI

20.15

Def

Cincinnati Bengals

CIN

Ryan McDowell (DynastyLeagueFootball.com) Draft slot 3

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

Considering the non PPR scoring, the common challenge was finding starting quality running backs. This was especially true for me as I felt the value in the early rounds was at wide receiver. I waited until the end of the 6th round to grab my 2nd running back in a league that I would ideally start three. While this is risky, I do think I found some good value in the mid rounds and ended with a fairly balanced team. The other challenge for me was the long wait between picks considering I was near the turn (3 hole). I had to pay close attention to the makeup of other team and attempt to get ahead of the position runs.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

My best value was Willis McGahee, who I chose with the 6.14 pick (94th overall). McGahee was the 38th running back selected despite being the starter for what is expected to be a high powered offense. Many are predicting a breakout year from rookie Ronnie Hillman, but I look at the history of coach John Fox's use of veterans in his offense. This bodes well for McGahee. With Peyton manning at the helm, the Broncos should see an increase in red zone visits, resulting in McGahee improving his 4 TD performance from 2011.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think the best value was Jeff Brubach's pick of Philip Rivers in the 5th round. The quarterback position is of utmost importance in a 16 team league and Jeff nabbed the last of the top QBs. I debated taking Rivers just a few picks earlier, but opted for Eli Manning instead.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

I really like John Sarmento's draft. In the 1 spot, he had his choice and went with Arian Foster. It is hard to have depth at RB in a 16 team non PPR, but he also added Jahvid Best and Kendall Hunter. I am liking both of those guys more and more for 2012. While he missed on the elite QBs, he got a solid pair with Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. These guys will not win games for him, but won't lose them either. At WR and TE, he accumulated guys that will score TDs even if they do not catch a high number of balls- Dez Bryant, Percy Harvin, Santonio Holmes, Tony Gonzalez and Greg Olsen give John great depth at these spots. The draft was deep and there were some questionable picks late, but I even liked his shots in the dark...TJ Graham, Marvin Jones and Rob Housler are redraft sleepers this year.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

4.14

QB

Eli Manning

NYG

11.03

QB

Andy Dalton

CIN

1.03

RB

LeSean McCoy

PHI

6.14

RB

Willis McGahee

DEN

7.03

RB

Ryan Williams

ARI

9.03

RB

Pierre Thomas

NOS

13.03

RB

Lamar Miller

MIA

15.03

RB

Dion Lewis

PHI

2.14

WR

Julio Jones

ATL

3.03

WR

Victor Cruz

NYG

5.03

WR

Antonio Brown

PIT

12.14

WR

Lestar Jean

HOU

14.14

WR

Andre Caldwell

DEN

16.14

WR

David Gettis

CAR

17.03

WR

Armon Binns

CIN

19.03

WR

Andre Holmes

DAL

8.14

TE

Jermaine Gresham

CIN

10.14

TE

Owen Daniels

HOU

18.14

PK

Garrett Hartley

NOS

20.14

Def

Dallas Cowboys

DAL

Jim Day (Bleacher Report/Fantasytaz.com) Draft slot 4

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

It is very hard in a 16-team draft to not have any holes, but you have to compensate by taking depth players that have a chance at decent upside. My biggest challenge was simply a mistake I made in the 1st round. I meant to pick Chris Johnson, but instead I clicked on Calvin Johnson. It's not like Calvin is a bad pick, but by not grabbing a RB in round one, it definitely put me behind the eight ball there.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Kellen Davis at pick 12.13 as the 21st TE taken. Like Davis in a Mike Tice offense. I think he is in line for the biggest jump of any TE.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Peyton Hillis taken at 7.12 as the 41st RB taken. In a non-PPR league he should easily out-perform this draft spot. He will definitely get the goal line work and much more is possible if Charles suffers any setbacks.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

There are a lot of good teams, but I will go with Ryan McDowell's team. He has a solid core of starters: Eli Manning, McCoy, McGahee, Ryan Williams, Julio Jones, Victor Cruz, Antonio Brown, Gresham. He also grabbed some WRs that have some nice upside and Owen Daniels is an excellent #2 TE.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

6.13

QB

Matt Schaub

HOU

11.04

QB

Jake Locker

TEN

14.13

QB

Tim Tebow

NYJ

3.04

RB

Michael Turner

ATL

5.04

RB

DeAngelo Williams

CAR

8.13

RB

Rashad Jennings

JAC

13.04

RB

Jonathan Dwyer

PIT

15.04

RB

Brandon Jackson

CLE

1.04

WR

Calvin Johnson

DET

2.13

WR

Roddy White

ATL

7.04

WR

Randy Moss

SFO

9.04

WR

Austin Collie

IND

10.13

WR

Laurent Robinson

JAC

17.04

WR

Damian Williams

TEN

18.13

WR

Brandon Tate

CIN

4.13

TE

Antonio Gates

SDC

12.13

TE

Kellen Davis

CHI

16.13

PK

David Akers

SFO

19.04

PK

Matt Prater

DEN

20.13

Def

New York Giants

NYG

Jeff Brubach (TheFakeFootball.com) Draft slot 5

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

A draft this deep, combined with the non-PPR scoring system, made acquiring any sort of depth at running back nearly impossible. The position is thin enough in a 12 team league, so all the quality backs were gobbled up quickly in this draft. To help battle this issue, I attempted to pair up backfield mates where I could, to ensure at least some production throughout the course of the season. I matched Ridley with Vereen, and grabbed Ronnie Brown to go with Ryan Mathews, so if one of these guys goes down, my team would be able to salvage some production at the running back position.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I was happy to snag Philip Rivers at 5.05, 69th overall. Rivers was the 10th quarterback off the board and, in my opinion, the last of the quality starters remaining. The three quarterbacks drafted in the next 15 picks were P. Manning, J. Cutler, and RGIII, so Rivers was a fairly solid value.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Matthew Stafford falling to 3.07 (39th overall) in a 16 team league is pretty crazy. That was a nice selection by Jeff Haseley and looks even better considering where Brees (2.05) and Brady (2.03) were drafted.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

After digging through the rosters after this monster mock was complete, I found Eric Yeoman's team to be very solid. Eric was able to corral a nice stable of running backs, which is difficult to do in a draft this deep. Trent Richardson, Steven Jackson (with Pead as insurance), and Spiller will make a nice trio this season. Vick and Tamme are solid selections at quarterback and tight end as well. His receivers are thin behind Vincent Jackson, but Lance Moore and DHB/Jacoby Ford should be decent enough options given the strength at the other positions.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

5.05

QB

Philip Rivers

SDC

11.05

QB

Matt Flynn

SEA

1.05

RB

Ryan Mathews

SDC

4.12

RB

Beanie Wells

ARI

6.12

RB

Stevan Ridley

NEP

9.05

RB

Shane Vereen

NEP

12.12

RB

Robert Turbin

SEA

15.05

RB

Ronnie Brown

SDC

20.12

RB

Johnny White

BUF

2.12

WR

Hakeem Nicks

NYG

3.05

WR

Wes Welker

NEP

7.05

WR

Sidney Rice

SEA

10.12

WR

Kendall Wright

TEN

14.12

WR

Andre Roberts

ARI

16.12

WR

Kevin Walter

HOU

18.12

WR

Jacoby Jones

BAL

8.12

TE

Jared Cook

TEN

13.05

TE

Lance Kendricks

STL

19.05

PK

Jason Hanson

DET

17.05

Def

Seattle Seahawks

SEA

Jeremy Zimmerman (Fantasy-FootballU.com) Draft slot 6

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

My plan was to go into the draft taking the BPA at every pick, but it of course didn't turn out that way. I took Rodgers with the 6th pick in the draft (Highest rated guy) to give myself an advantage at QB, which is odd because i usually always wait until round 3-4 to target a QB. My next pick was supposed to be Julio Jones, but i clicked Dough Martin by mistake which isn't a huge deal because of the huge RB run that went before my pick.

I struggled a bit trying to get caught up with starting RB's, because it seemed like they were all gone by my second pick in the draft. My RB's are a very weak part of my team for the 2012 season, but should be solid in 2013-14 and like usual i draft for the future as a dynasty fantasy footballer.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think the best value for myself was Dwayne Bowe at 5.06. I didn't expect him to be there at that pick.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

As for best value by another person I would have to say it is hands down Mathew Stafford at 3.07 by Jeff Haseley. I expected Stafford to go in the early part of the 2nd round with the QB runs but he fell down to the middle of the 3rd.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

It was a close choice between Russell Clay and Jeff Brubach, but I have to give the nod to Jeff for such an excellent draft and a well balanced team from top to bottom. In this format RBs are very strong plays and Jeff has four startable RBs and two very good WRs in Welker and Nicks. To seal the deal, a top 10 QB in Rivers to keep him in every game, I also like the upside of Titans TE Jared Cook.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

1.06

QB

Aaron Rodgers

GBP

2.11

RB

Doug Martin

TBB

6.11

RB

David Wilson

NYG

8.11

RB

Daniel Thomas

MIA

10.11

RB

Delone Carter

IND

18.11

RB

Mario Fannin

DEN

3.06

WR

Demaryius Thomas

DEN

4.11

WR

Denarius Moore

OAK

5.06

WR

Dwayne Bowe

KCC

7.06

WR

Justin Blackmon

JAC

11.06

WR

Stephen Hill

NYJ

12.11

WR

Josh Gordon

CLE

14.11

WR

Nick Toon

NOS

15.06

WR

A.J. Jenkins

SFO

16.11

WR

Greg Childs

MIN

9.06

TE

Coby Fleener

IND

13.06

TE

Tony Moeaki

KCC

19.06

TE

Luke Stocker

TBB

20.11

PK

Mike Nugent

CIN

17.06

Def

Pittsburgh Steelers

PIT

Jeff Haseley (Footballguys.com) Draft slot 7

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

In such a deep draft spread out by 16 teams, it's hard for every team to have a strong quarterback, tight end and two respectable running backs. Wide Receiver is pretty deep this year and theoretically should be less of a concern. I was able to secure an elite quarterback in Matthew Stafford, but my quest to land a Top 10 tight end didn't work out as well as I hoped. I wound up with Dustin Keller and Heath Miller. I like both of these, but more as a TE2, not TE1. My RBs are led by Chris Johnson, Isaac Redman and Donald Brown. That's not a bad trio in this deep league. All three should be their team's starting running back. I don't think many teams can say that. My wide receivers are respectable, but not dominant. Andre Johnson, Malcolm Floyd, Greg Little and Randall Cobb round out my top 4 WRs. I just missed out on Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was selected one pick ahead of Malcolm Floyd. I would've rather had DHB as my WR2, but I like Floyd's upside on a Chargers team that is capable of putting up 4,000+ yards passing with 25-30 TDs.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Matthew Stafford - 39th overall pick (3.07) in a 16-team draft is very good value, in my opinion, considering his ADP is 19th overall. Honorable mention is Andre Johnson at 26th overall at pick 2.10. His current ADP is 16.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Laurent Robinson 10.13, 157th overall is good value for a WR that could very well be the WR1 for the Jaguars this year. I think people are afraid of the Jaguars passing offense, but there's a new coach and a new philosophy with a much improved WR corps, led by Robinson.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

It's hard to find a very good team, because everyone has some type of hole. The most well-rounded team in my opinion is Jay Myers team. Quarterback is a very important piece of the puzzle. He has a good one in Peyton Manning. The combination of Matt Forte and DeMarco Murray at RB is strong and his WRs are arguably the best threesome in the league (Jeremy Maclin, Marques Colston and Eric Decker). One would think that a fairly balanced team would struggle to acquire a respectable tight end. Not in this case. Jay was able to secure Brandon Pettigrew in the 7th round, pick 112 overall, who I believe will be a Top 10 TE this year. I also like the selection of Leonard Hankerson in the 10th round. Jay has a very balanced draft with good upside, adequate depth and talent dispersed throughout.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

3.07

QB

Matthew Stafford

DET

11.07

QB

Christian Ponder

MIN

16.10

QB

Matt Moore

MIA

1.07

RB

Chris Johnson

TEN

4.10

RB

Isaac Redman

PIT

5.07

RB

Donald Brown

IND

12.10

RB

Javon Ringer

TEN

15.07

RB

Le'Ron McClain

SDC

2.10

WR

Andre Johnson

HOU

6.10

WR

Malcom Floyd

SDC

7.07

WR

Greg Little

CLE

8.10

WR

Randall Cobb

GBP

13.07

WR

Ryan Broyles

DET

14.10

WR

Juron Criner

OAK

19.07

WR

Donald Jones

BUF

20.10

WR

Devin Hester

CHI

9.07

TE

Dustin Keller

NYJ

10.10

TE

Heath Miller

PIT

17.07

PK

Stephen Gostkowski

NEP

18.10

Def

Chicago Bears

CHI

Eric Yeomans (ProFootballFocus.com) Draft slot 8

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

I considered myself lucky enough to have the 8th pick, which I really like in a deeper league. You never need to reach for players, so it certainly makes it a little easier to put together a squad. That being said, you still have to be very aware of the ADP in relation to your rankings, as you know some of the ADP is skewed but many other drafters have similar rankings as yourself. You also had to be aware of the draft board, your team's needs and other teams needs as well. As tough as it may be, you certainly have to be thinking a few rounds ahead, because it's very tough to react when there's 16 or more player coming off the board before you pick again.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

This is cheating, but I have three picks I really liked based on value for different reasons. The first came with getting C.J. Spiller as my RB3. While he may be the 1-B running back to Fred Jackson's 1-A, I really don't have a lot of faith in Fred Jackson to come back strong this season. This could really open the door for Spiller. And even if I'm wrong, he should be more than utilized enough to warrant where he went, and it's always nice to get three top 30 RBs when you know a minimum of 32 have to start. The second was Bernard Scott, who, despite being the most talented RB in Cincinnati for the last three years, has found himself stuck behind workhorse Cedric Benson. With the departure of Benson, there was some optimism for Scott right up until they sign BenJarvus Green-Ellis. But with then news that the Bengals apparently plan to employ a RBBC with a hot-hand approach, I really like Scott's odds of finally emerging with some fantasy value this year, and being picked outside the top 50 RBs makes it more than worth it to find out. The last was, surprise, another RB. This was Dallas Cowboys running back, Phillip Tanner. Playing in a good offense with only two extremely injury prone RBs in front of you in DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones makes for a great opportunity for production at some point in the season. Taken with the 264th pick, there's really nothing to lose.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Because I cheated on the last one, you couldn't expect me to just pick one player could you? Ryan McDowell's pick of Willis McGahee as the 38th RB off the board is pretty nice. It's tough to trust him to stay healthy all year, but with the importance of RB in such a deep non-PRR league, getting him with the 94th overall pick is robbery. Ryan did it again with pick 131, snagging Pierre Thomas, who should once again be a big part of the New Orleans backfield. Robert Griffin III fell all the way to Sigmund Bloom as the 13th QB off the board, which more than weighs the rookie QB risk with his top 10 fantasy upside.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

I think most of us think we each had the best draft, but obviously that's no fun explaining why you think your team is best. I think I've gotta give it to Sigmund as the best draft. He understood the set-up extremely well, went very RB-heavy at the start, and was still able to secure a very strong starting lineup around them. He's also got a deep bench with a nice mix of veteran reliability and solid upside. With a smaller league, it's a better bet to swing for the fences with your bench spots, but when 320 players are off the board, it's nice to have some stability there as well.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

3.08

QB

Michael Vick

PHI

12.09

QB

Mark Sanchez

NYJ

1.08

RB

Trent Richardson

CLE

2.09

RB

Steven Jackson

STL

5.08

RB

C.J. Spiller

BUF

9.08

RB

Isaiah Pead

STL

10.09

RB

Bernard Scott

CIN

16.09

RB

Bilal Powell

NYJ

17.08

RB

Phillip Tanner

DAL

4.09

WR

Vincent Jackson

TBB

6.09

WR

Darrius Heyward-Bey

OAK

8.09

WR

Lance Moore

NOS

11.08

WR

Jacoby Ford

OAK

14.09

WR

James Jones

GBP

15.08

WR

Harry Douglas

ATL

18.09

WR

Mike Thomas

JAC

7.08

TE

Jacob Tamme

DEN

13.08

TE

Marcedes Lewis

JAC

19.08

PK

Matt Bryant

ATL

20.09

Def

New York Jets

NYJ

Andy Miley (ProFootballFocus.com) Draft slot 9

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

Finding starting running backs was a difficult task especially in a non-ppr setting. When all my #1 running backs (McCoy, Foster, Rice, Matthews, CJ2K, and Richardson) dried up before my 1.09 selection, I went against the grain with Cam Newton due to his ability to throw and run (even if he only gets 8-9 rushing TDs this year). This will hopefully be able to alleviate some of my running back woes. Other than that, I found value in the other positions and am quite happy with my QBs, WRs, TEs, etc.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Brent Celek (8.08) was the 12th tight end selected, but he was a Top 5 producer from Week 4 on. Most fantasy players are forgetting about him. With no premium scoring for tight ends, this was a huge value so late.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Ben Roethlisberger at pick 6.15 by Mark Preston was the 15th quarterback selected. In a 16 team league, quarterbacks are king as they are the only non-renewable resource. I expect Big Ben to be in the Top 10 quarterback scoring. OC Todd Haley should have the Steelers passing offense humming especially with a much, improved offensive line to give Roethlisberger more time.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

Ryan McDowell, who picked at the 3rd spot, has the most impressive team.

QBs: Eli Manning and Andy Dalton, who may be unspectacular to some, but will be very consistent.

RBs: L McCoy, McGahee, P Thomas, R Williams, L Miller, and D Lewis- McCoy is elite and should man one of his RBs spots 16 games and McGahee, Thomas, R Williams, and L Miller will all be starting or playing a significant role throughout the season.

WRs: Julio Jones, Cruz (QB combo points), and Antonio Brown are all top starters. I like the upside combination of Binns, Caldwell, Gettis, and Jean to perhaps be a #4 wide receiver (flex option) in some weeks.

TEs: Daniels and Gresham are solid starters, who are both in my top 16. Either can fill in as a flex starter if needed.

Ks & Ds: are what they are with this scoring aka not that important.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

1.09

QB

Cam Newton

CAR

10.08

QB

Alex Smith

SFO

2.08

RB

Darren Sproles

NOS

5.09

RB

Ben Tate

HOU

7.09

RB

Ronnie Hillman

DEN

11.09

RB

Evan Royster

WAS

14.08

RB

Taiwan Jones

OAK

16.08

RB

Christopher Ivory

NOS

19.09

RB

Terrance Ganaway

NYJ

20.08

RB

Bryce Brown

PHI

3.09

WR

Steve Smith

CAR

4.08

WR

Steve Johnson

BUF

6.08

WR

Pierre Garcon

WAS

9.09

WR

Doug Baldwin

SEA

12.08

WR

Emmanuel Sanders

PIT

17.09

WR

TY Hilton

IND

8.08

TE

Brent Celek

PHI

13.09

TE

Dwayne Allen

IND

18.08

PK

Sebastian Janikowski

OAK

15.09

Def

Houston Texans

HOU

Marc Levin (Footballguys.com) Draft slot 10

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

Having a decent amount of experience drafting in big leagues (I have an annual league that runs anywhere from 20 to 24 teams), I was ready for this draft to offer the unexpected and for it to blow up my strategy. I was more surprised that I was able to, for the most part, execute my strategy (with one big hole). The short version is that the perfect draft would be a balanced attack of top-8 scorers at all of these positions: QB1, RB1/2, WR1 and TE. After that, since this was a non-PPR, start-2 WR, 2-flex WR/RB/TE league, I wanted to try and get as deep as possible at RB. In my experience in large non-PPR leagues, RBs are more consistent starters and they offer better trade bait if I must fill unexpected in-season roster holes.

I will share some thoughts on why I went this way. First, in a league where the starting QBs and TEs go 16 deep, and the starting WR/RBs go anywhere from 32 to 64 players deep, owners must be prepared to be a bit behind other owners at some starting positions. I decided I was willing to be weaker at starting WR. Second, quarterbacks gain a higher premium in these bigger leagues. QB2 quality players end up on some team as a QB1 starter – and I didn't want to be one of those teams. Third, positions vanish incredibly fast in 16-team leagues. I did not want to be the owner who feels helpless while waiting 30+ picks and watching an entire tier of players vanish after passing on a starter at a given position, hoping quality will swing back around.

Given those thoughts, I entered this draft with intertwined strategies. I wanted the best player available until my starting lineup was filled, with an emphasis on RB and QB in the first four rounds. I also made the conscious decision to platoon my starting WR2 spot, while starting at least 3 RBs every week. I wanted RB3/4 players who would be better than teams that counted on starting at least 3 WRs every week. My thought was that, in a non-PPR league, WRs score sporadically, while RBs outside the top-24 can be counted on for some production every week, even if they rarely score big. Though I wanted explosiveness from my top starters, I wanted steady scoring from my flex spots, which I envisioned being two RBs most weeks.

I think I executed this strategy fairly well. I have two potential top-12 RBs in MJD and Ahmad Bradshaw, one of my top-8 WRs in Mike Wallace, one of my top-8 QBs in Tony Romo, and one of my top-8 TEs in Vernon Davis. Davis is more valuable in TD leagues than PPR leagues. So far, so good with my starters. When I took Romo, I vowed to back him up with another top-16 QB in case I needed to use one as trade bait, and FBG consensus #16 QB Ryan Fitzpatrick fit the bill. My platoon strategy at WR2/3 came off. Between Reggie Wayne, Michael Crabtree, and a lot of WR4 quality players, I should be able to find a WR to pair with Wallace every week, plus a flex receiver with a good matchup. And my desire for RB depth in a non-PPR worked out with TD backs LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Jacobs. I mentioned I had one big hole in my strategy – I forgot to draft a TE2, and I didn't draft an upside RB6.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Mike Wallace at 3.10/42 overall. When one of your top-8 WRs is available in the third in a 12-team, you are satisfied. When the same player is available in a 16-team league, you are ecstatic. I was planning to go QB here, but I jumped at Wallace. I have him rated with top-5 upside in non-PPR leagues and he was the WR15 off the board. Players with lower ADPs drafted before him in this draft were Steve Smith, Jordy Nelson, Demaryius Thomas, Percy Harvin, and Dez Bryant. I also felt good about the value I received with my QB2 of Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB19, 9.10/138th overall. We have him ranked as QB16 (which means starter quality in this league). I also like how late I got LeGarrette Blount (8.10/119 overall). Remember, this is a non-PPR league where TDs are king. Your run of the mill TD vultures in 12-team leagues are your flex starters in 16-team non-PPR leagues. And Blount has a real shot at winning the starting job for his team.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think Sigmund Bloom snagging Frank Gore at 3.13/45th overall was great value in this kind of draft. But Jared Ferree gets my vote for best value with Tim Hightower at 10.03/147th overall. Hightower is a potential 10-game starter in a Mike Shanahan offense and a decent short yardage back, who was snagged as the RB57 in a 16-team draft. Of course, that pick made up for the greatest reach of the draft with Roy Helu at 3.14/46th overall. With those two picks, Ferree likely has Mike Shanahan's RB starter all year long, even if Shanahan will drive him mad trying to decide which one gets the most carries in a given week.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

Value and "best draft" may not go hand in hand. I feel that finding "value picks" at WR, and amassing a decent WR lineup, is fairly easy in a 16-team non-PPR. But this kind of league's draft is won with balanced starters tradable RB depth. In a non-PPR, only the elite WRs have better trade value than average starters at RBs. Drafting for those considerations may not make for great value, but they will keep you competitive in the league.

Our league Draft Report ranked Ryan McDowell's draft as the best. This was based on picks compared to consensus ADP. While I feel this draft received good value given those considerations, I don't like the weekly starting lineup in a non-PPR league. The first few starters of QB Eli Manning, RB LeSean McCoy, and WRs Julio Jones and Victor Cruz are formidable, but I feel this team will have to make too many weekly lineup decisions after that. There is a lack of balance with a lot of question marks at RB2 and both flex spots. Also, in a non-PPR, a TE rotation of Owen Daniels and Jermaine Gresham is bland.

Outside of my own draft, which I felt was good despite overlooking a TE2, I think Jeff Brubach put together the best team for this league via the draft. QB1 Philip Rivers, RB1 Ryan Mathews, and WR1/2 Nicks and Welker are good "set it and forget it" starters. Meanwhile, Brubach drafted his RB2/3/4 rotation well. He guaranteed "the New England starting RB" with Ridley and Vereen. Chris "Beanie" Wells should be a solid flex option while healthy, and he lucked into a potential fantasy starter with Seattle rookie Robert Turin if Marshawn Lynch suffers NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's wrath, as most expect. Moreover, his WR depth behind his starters is solid with Sidney Rice at WR3, and Andre Roberts or Kendall Wright presenting potential flex starter upside. My only qualm is the failure to draft a top-12 TE, but he can address WR4 and/or TE1 if his RBs pan out as expected. Honorable mention goes to Mark Preston's team. Solid TE/WR starters go alongside great RB/QB depth. The QB/RB depth should make it easy for this team to trade in order to improve its starting lineup if any weaknesses pop up during the season.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

4.07

QB

Tony Romo

DAL

9.10

QB

Ryan Fitzpatrick

BUF

20.07

QB

Joe Webb

MIN

1.10

RB

Maurice Jones-Drew

JAC

2.07

RB

Ahmad Bradshaw

NYG

8.07

RB

LeGarrette Blount

TBB

10.07

RB

Brandon Jacobs

SFO

13.10

RB

Montario Hardesty

CLE

3.10

WR

Mike Wallace

PIT

6.07

WR

Reggie Wayne

IND

7.10

WR

Michael Crabtree

SFO

11.10

WR

Brian Hartline

MIA

12.07

WR

Davone Bess

MIA

14.07

WR

Josh Morgan

WAS

16.07

WR

Jabar Gaffney

NEP

18.07

WR

Jason Avant

PHI

19.10

WR

Mohamed Massaquoi

CLE

5.10

TE

Vernon Davis

SFO

17.10

PK

Mason Crosby

GBP

15.10

Def

Green Bay Packers

GBP

Russell Clay (Fantasy-footballU.com) Draft slot 11

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

I would say the most difficult thing was filling out a starting lineup without a weakness, I actually think you had to plan out and choose what you wanted your weakness to be, I chose Quarterback. I felt that was the deepest position to find quality in and I waited. I don't think anyone could honestly say they would be happy choosing their opening day starter between Josh Freeman and Sam Bradford, but I would rather have weakness there then at WR or RB.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Mike Goodson at 11.11. I know most aren't fans of Goodson, but I still am holding out from what I saw in Carolina two years ago, he looked like he could handle a significant amount of work if need be. The fact that I got, what I consider to be Darren McFadden's (first round selection) main handcuff, as the 61st RB off the board is amazing value.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Philip Rivers was easily the pick of the draft, great pick by Jeff Brubach. Getting Rivers in the 5th round of a 16 teamer is just about the best you can hope for when waiting at QB. People still seem to be down on him for his performance last year, but he has a very solid track record and I am almost positive that his numbers go back to normal this year. Rivers is the last QB before the first significant drop in value and getting him at pick 69, I repeat, was the best pick of the draft.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

I have to be honest here, I think I have the best team. Obviously QB is a major perceived weakness, but I really like one of those two (Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford) to have a bounce back year. If one of them is a top 8-10 QB, that sets the table for my team to score a lot of points. No team has two better starting RBs, and although they are injury prone, they are guaranteed elite production when they are in there. I think Felix Jones is a great RB3 for a 16 teamer and if anything happens to Murray, Felix is a low end RB1 (RB14-16). I like Rashard Mendenhall for later in the year also, chances are, one of my two main backs will be hurt by then and I think Mendy will pick up the slack the second half of the year. I think the tandem of Marshall Lloyd and Meachem is around the top in the league, but obviously most aren't as high on Lloyd and Meachem as I am. I think in Non PPR Jermichael Finley gains quite a bit of value, as he does not get as many targets as the top tight ends, he certainly gets a lot of looks in the red zone.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

7.11

QB

Josh Freeman

TBB

8.06

QB

Sam Bradford

STL

15.11

QB

Blaine Gabbert

JAC

1.11

RB

Darren McFadden

OAK

2.06

RB

Adrian Peterson

MIN

9.11

RB

Rashard Mendenhall

PIT

10.06

RB

Felix Jones

DAL

11.11

RB

Mike Goodson

OAK

18.06

RB

Knowshon Moreno

DEN

3.11

WR

Brandon Marshall

CHI

4.06

WR

Brandon Lloyd

NEP

6.06

WR

Robert Meachem

SDC

12.06

WR

Chad Johnson

FA*

16.06

WR

Steve Breaston

KCC

17.11

WR

Donnie Avery

IND

19.11

WR

DeVier Posey

HOU

5.11

TE

Jermichael Finley

GBP

14.06

TE

Scott Chandler

BUF

20.06

PK

Neil Rackers

WAS

13.11

Def

San Francisco 49ers

SFO

Brian Quinlan (Rosterwatch.com) Draft slot 12

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

The biggest challenge is trying to anticipate what all these guys were going to do next. Not an easy thing to do with this many smart guys involved. I went into the draft with the idea of going TE/QB to start then I figured I'd just feel my out how the draft was going and target what I thought to be the best value at my spot. I wasn't thrilled at first but by the midway point I began to feel pretty good about my squad.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I think the best value pick(s) I made were running backs Hillis (7.12) and Gerhart (9.12). Hillis has TD vulture written all over him, and as much as I love Peterson there are not many examples of guys coming off an ACL without showing the effects.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I realize this may come off as homerism but, the Donald Jones pick at 19.07 by Jeff Haseley, was great. I'm embarrassed that I didn't pick him myself earlier (I blame the beer). Marcus Easley (11.16) David Nelson (12.15) and TJ Graham (16.16) went before Jones. I love Easley and am rooting for him, but he's all preseason sleeper hype and no substance. Graham hasn't earned anything yet and reports are he's talented and athletic, but not very polished. I am a big fan of Nelson, but I think he's more valuable in PPR leagues than the in this format. The fact that the guy who will end up as the Bills starter opposite Stevie went after three other Bills receivers makes him value alone, the fact that he went after guys who may not see the field much at all (Tommy Streeter, Juron Criner, Armon Binns, Joe Adams) makes it the best value pick of the draft in my mind.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

My team of course. The 2nd best team had to be Ryan McDowell. A very nice QB tandem coupled with McCoy, McGahee and some upside RBs (Miller and Williams) are solid especially in a 16 team league. He's got 3 talented young WRs in Julio, Victor, and Antonio as well as a guy I'm very high on in dynasty Lestar Jean, who may emerge as the #2 this year. Solid TE combo in Daniels and Graham round out a pretty good all around team.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

2.05

QB

Drew Brees

NOS

11.12

QB

Kevin Kolb

ARI

4.05

RB

Jonathan Stewart

CAR

6.05

RB

Michael Bush

CHI

7.12

RB

Peyton Hillis

KCC

9.12

RB

Toby Gerhart

MIN

12.05

RB

Alex Green

GBP

17.12

RB

Justin Forsett

HOU

20.05

RB

Ryan Grant

FA

3.12

WR

Jordy Nelson

GBP

5.12

WR

Torrey Smith

BAL

8.05

WR

Brian Quick

STL

10.05

WR

Alshon Jeffery

CHI

13.12

WR

Devery Henderson

NOS

14.05

WR

Eddie Royal

SDC

1.12

TE

Rob Gronkowski

NEP

15.12

TE

Kellen Winslow

SEA

18.05

TE

Ben Watson

CLE

19.12

PK

Dan Bailey

DAL

16.05

Def

Buffalo Bills

BUF

Sigmund Bloom (Footballguys.com) Draft slot 13

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

RB scarcity and timing QB and TE to maximize value and avoid the wrong end of runs were the toughest tasks. I decided to start RB-RB-RB to address the first and go TE/QB at the 5/6 turn to solve #2.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

At the time I would have said Marshawn Lynch at #13 overall in a non-PPR. Taking PPR out of the equation makes him a strong candidate to finish in the Top 5 and worthy of a Top 8 pick. Of course all of that has changed now, due to his recent legal troubles. Andrew Luck as the 20th QB off the board looks great in a league where a backup QB is important because almost all starters are roster.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Peyton Hillis at the 108th pick by Brian Quinlan is looking like a terrific value. He's looking like a potential RB2 and a 16 team non-PPR format magnifies his value. Getting Hillis after guys like Michael Bush, David Wilson, and Stevan Ridley is golden.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

I really like the way Jared Ferree made a Brady/Fitz start work in a non-PPR. Helu/Hightower, Ingram, and BJGE is a fine RB group in a 16 teamer when you have the best QB and one of the elite 2 or 3 WRs, along with a very strong TE play.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

6.04

QB

Robert Griffin

WAS

10.04

QB

Andrew Luck

IND

1.13

RB

Marshawn Lynch

SEA

2.04

RB

Jamaal Charles

KCC

3.13

RB

Frank Gore

SFO

8.04

RB

Jacquizz Rodgers

ATL

14.04

RB

Jason Snelling

ATL

16.04

RB

Danny Woodhead

NEP

17.13

RB

LaRod Stephens-Howling

ARI

4.04

WR

Kenny Britt

TEN

7.13

WR

Titus Young

DET

9.13

WR

Santana Moss

WAS

11.13

WR

Nate Burleson

DET

12.04

WR

Jerome Simpson

MIN

13.13

WR

Earl Bennett

CHI

15.13

WR

Steve Smith

STL

5.13

TE

Jason Witten

DAL

19.13

TE

Zach Miller

SEA

20.04

PK

Rob Bironas

TEN

18.04

Def

Detroit Lions

DET

Jared Ferree (Profootballaddicts.com) Draft slot 14

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

Filling the RB spot this season can be tough without a plan going in. Knowing I had the 14th pick before the draft I decided to target Matt Forte as my 1st Round Pick, then try to come back and get Julio Jones in the 2nd Round. I was shocked to see Larry Fitzgerald still on the board at #14 overall, my #2 ranked WR, so I jumped on the best value in my mind. With only 4 picks until my next pick, I thought Forte or DeMarco Murray might be there, so I took a chance. When I came back around in Round 2, both Forte and Murray were gone, so again I took my best player available, Tom Brady. By going WR/QB with my 1st two picks I severely handicapped myself by constantly being behind playing catch up at the RB position which shows looking at the rest of my draft.

If you think grabbing a RB is not important this season, look at my team and you'll get an idea of what a team who waits too long to take a RB looks like. I thought I might be able to land Gore in the 3rd Round, but he went one spot ahead of my pick, leaving me with Roy Helu as my #1 RB in a non-PPR league. I was able to grab a couple of guys I think can outperform their draft slot later on with Mark Ingram at #78 and BenJarvus Green-Ellis at #83. Had I gone with more RBs early on, I would have been able to land a solid starting QB for a 16 team league like a Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub or Ben Roethlisberger, and gone for a solid WR like a Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, or Robert Meachem as a WR3.

QB and WR depth are there in the later rounds, so grabbing my best available players in Round 1 & 2, which happened to be a WR and a QB, left me scrambling later on.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the 6th Round, Pick 83 overall I think is good value for my team. I was in desperate need of a RB at that point, and he should be the clear cut starter in Cincinnati. The Bengals were Top 10 in the NFL in 2011 with 455 Rushing Attempts, of which Cedric Benson had 273, a 60% workload. There were only 9 RBs in 2011 who had 60% or more of their team's rushing attempts. Green-Ellis isn't a sexy pick by any means, but in a 16 team non-PPR league he should be an every week starter with solid numbers. To get him as my #3 RB where I did, I thought it was a pick that made my draft look a little better.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

You could probably answer this question with any WR who was picked in the 2nd-4th Round. People were desperate to grab RBs, so you saw guys like Michael Turner getting picked ahead of Wes Welker and Matthew Stafford. Doug Martin, an unproven rookie was taken ahead of Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Greg Jennings. There was a lot of WR value in those rounds, but the pick that stands out to me was Matthew Stein's pick of Miles Austin at the 4.02 spot, 50th overall, the 20th WR picked. Austin was on pace for a monster fantasy year in 2011 before he got hurt. All signs point to him being healthy in 2012. Dez Bryant was picked in the 2nd Round as the 8th WR off the board, so landing Austin this late is a great value pick, given that he has the potential to perform as a Top 10 Fantasy WR in 2011.

Runner Up: Jay Myers' pick of Peyton Manning, Pick 5.16, 80th overall, 11th QB picked. If he stays healthy, could be the steal of the draft.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

In a league this size, I think Jay Myers has a team that will be tough to beat. If Peyton Manning stays healthy he's got a Top 10 option at QB every single week. His combo of Matt Forte and DeMarco Murray is a very solid 1-2 punch at the RB position, while Mikel Leshoure could easily be a flex play. He might not have 1 Stud WR on this roster, but Marques Colston, Jeremy Maclin, and Eric Decker could all be Top 25 WRs this season, and in a 16 team league that is very impressive. 2nd year players Jon Baldwin and Leonard Hankerson are also nice additions to a solid WR core. He waited on TE and was still able to grab Brandon Pettigrew who I think has a legitimate chance to finish the season as a Top 8 TE. Martellus Bennett is a guy I am very interested in seeing in New York since he is a player I felt was underused during his time in Dallas. He could be a guy to surprise as well. Nate Kaeding has been a solid kicker for years, and looking at his defense, the Denver Broncos, they might not have to be on the field that much with Manning in town.

I think this team's success all depends on what he gets from Peyton Manning. If Manning is a Top 6 Fantasy QB this season, this team will be hard to beat. They don't have any glaring weaknesses except at the backup QB position with Brandon Weeden, but in a 16 team league, that's what you'd expect. I think Jay did a great job fielding quality starters at every position and even has a few upside picks on his bench.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

2.03

QB

Tom Brady

NEP

15.14

QB

Ryan Tannehill

MIA

3.14

RB

Roy Helu

WAS

5.14

RB

Mark Ingram

NOS

6.03

RB

BenJarvus Green-Ellis

CIN

10.03

RB

Tim Hightower

WAS

13.14

RB

Cedric Benson

GBP

1.14

WR

Larry Fitzgerald

ARI

7.14

WR

Anquan Boldin

BAL

8.03

WR

Nate Washington

TEN

9.14

WR

Michael Floyd

ARI

11.14

WR

Mohamed Sanu

CIN

12.03

WR

Danny Amendola

STL

14.03

WR

Jordan Shipley

CIN

16.03

WR

Greg Salas

STL

17.14

WR

Early Doucet

ARI

4.03

TE

Aaron Hernandez

NEP

18.03

TE

Anthony Fasano

MIA

20.03

PK

John Kasay

NOS

19.14

Def

Arizona Cardinals

ARI

Matthew Stein (Bleacher Report) Draft slot 15

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

There were two extremely difficult things about a draft this long with so many teams. The first was the length between draft picks. Holding the 15th pick meant that I went 28 picks between my second and third picks. Any player I had on my radar was certainly gone by the time I picked again. This admittedly forced me to reach a few times simply for fear that they'd be gone by my next pick.

The second difficult part of the draft was when it got into the later rounds. While there were certainly some value players that late in the draft, the majority of picks were potential and developmental picks. All you can hope for with those later picks is either for an injury or a player to explode during training camp and preseason and become a key contributor to the team.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

I really liked who I got in the ninth round of this draft, tight end Kyle Rudolph. Last year Rudolph showed that he has the ability to become a top tight end in this league and it wouldn't surprise me if he was able to put up top points for a tight end this year. To get a potential Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham that late in the draft was huge.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Jeremy Zimmerman drafted Dwayne Bowe in the fifth round with the 70th overall pick. To get a legitimate No. 1 receiver who led the NFL in touchdown receptions two years ago was the steal of the draft.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

Two teams instantly struck me as the two best teams in the draft. First, John Sarmento had an extremely solid draft, despite holding the No. 1 pick in the draft. He played his back-to-back picks beautifully and has deep talent at every position. The other impressive team was Jeff Haseley's team. He also has great talent across the board and I personally love the picks of Donald Brown, Randall Cobb and Greg Little. If those three have breakout campaigns, Jeff simply won't be able to lose.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

6.02

QB

Jay Cutler

CHI

11.15

QB

Matt Cassel

KCC

3.15

RB

Reggie Bush

MIA

5.15

RB

James Starks

GBP

8.02

RB

LaMichael James

SFO

10.02

RB

Mike Tolbert

CAR

18.02

RB

Chris Rainey

PIT

2.02

WR

A.J. Green

CIN

4.02

WR

Miles Austin

DAL

7.15

WR

Mike Williams

TBB

12.02

WR

Rueben Randle

NYG

13.15

WR

Mario Manningham

SFO

14.02

WR

Dexter McCluster

KCC

17.15

WR

Arrelious Benn

TBB

1.15

TE

Jimmy Graham

NOS

9.15

TE

Kyle Rudolph

MIN

16.02

TE

Dallas Clark

TBB

20.02

PK

Robbie Gould

CHI

15.15

Def

Philadelphia Eagles

PHI

19.15

Def

Baltimore Ravens

BAL

Jay Myers (DynastyFootballWarehouse.com) Draft slot 16

A 20-round, 16-team draft totaling 320 picks is a very deep draft. What challenges did you face trying to assemble a team with very few holes?

I typically don't go the old school route with RB/RB, but this position is king in non-PPR and especially with 16 teams where they disappear quickly. My goal was to grab two right away as long as there was still value on the board, I ended up with Forte and Murray at 1.16 and 2.01. For me personally the big challenge was landing a solid starting QB and TE after filling the next 3 picks with my 3 starting receivers (Maclin, Colston, Decker). I really looked for value at those two positions, but I definitely didn't want to wait to long otherwise I might end up with a QB and/or TE outside of the top-12 which could be a big issue in a 16-teamer. I was fortunate enough to grab Peyton and Pettigrew after locking up my top 2 RBs and top 3 WRs giving me a very competitive starting lineup for a 16-teamer. I later added Leshoure for the flex giving me Peyton, Forte, Murray, Maclin, Colston, Decker, Pettigrew, Leshoure, Kaeding and the Bronco's Def. Loved this team for a 16-teamer.

Which pick of yours do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

Landing Peyton Manning as the 11th QB off the board as my starter at 5.16 was huge since he was the last possible elite option, Cutler was the next QB selected. If he performs the way I think he will then he "could" be a top-5 guy, and if he gets hurt on the first snap of the season then at least it's only redraft and not dynasty format.

Which pick (not yours) do you feel had the best value, for the spot in which it was selected?

This seems to be a recurring theme in some different expert drafts I've done of late, but I don't really understand how Cam can go off the board at 1.09 when Stafford is going at 3.07. That's insane value for Jeff Haseley as I expect Stafford to outplay Cam this year. I like Cam, but he's in for a sophomore slump as I don't see him matching those 14 rushing TDs. My point is less about Cam than it is about Stafford though. The pieces are in place for Stafford to compete for the #1 QB spot this year.

Which team had the best draft? Explain why.

Aside from my draft which I feel was the most complete from starters to bench, I'd probably go with Jeff Brubach's team. Philip Rivers, Ryan Mathews, Chris Wells, Stevan Ridley/Shane Vereen, Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks, Sidney Rice and Jared Cook. He also grabbed Robert Turbin and Kendall Wright who could get some play with the issues both Lynch and Britt are having right now. He also took Kendricks who I think will have a solid year too.

Pick

Pos

Player

Team

5.16

QB

Peyton Manning

DEN

12.01

QB

Brandon Weeden

CLE

1.16

RB

Matt Forte

CHI

2.01

RB

DeMarco Murray

DAL

8.01

RB

Mikel Leshoure

DET

13.16

RB

Bernard Pierce

BAL

15.16

RB

Vick Ballard

IND

17.16

RB

Brandon Saine

GBP

3.16

WR

Jeremy Maclin

PHI

4.01

WR

Marques Colston

NOS

6.01

WR

Eric Decker

DEN

9.16

WR

Jon Baldwin

KCC

10.01

WR

Leonard Hankerson

WAS

11.16

WR

Marcus Easley

BUF

18.01

WR

Devon Wylie

KCC

7.16

TE

Brandon Pettigrew

DET

14.01

TE

Jordan Cameron

CLE

16.01

TE

Martellus Bennett

NYG

20.01

PK

Nate Kaeding

SDC

19.16

Def

Denver Broncos

DEN

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